


walk/don't walk

by buck



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-16
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-24 22:53:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9790727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buck/pseuds/buck
Summary: Nobody ever thinks of bicycles as potential killing machines. Perhaps if Sasuke Uchiha had, he wouldn’t have absentmindedly stepped off the curb and into the path of an oncoming cyclist at a busy Gramercy intersection.





	

A car traveling at twenty miles per hour has a five percent chance of causing a fatality if it strikes a pedestrian. Up the speed by just ten miles per hour and that chance nonuples to forty-five percent. A bicycle traveling at the same speed can be just as pedestricidal, but nobody ever thinks of bicycles as potential killing machines. Perhaps if Sasuke Uchiha had, he wouldn’t have absentmindedly stepped off the curb and into the path of an oncoming cyclist at a busy Gramercy intersection. Before he even had time to process why the DON’T WALK sign on the opposite side of the street was suddenly and inexplicably upside down, his head hit the pavement, and everything went black.

When he opened his eyes, his first thought was that the normally drab gray of New York City streets looked much more like eggshell white up close. His second thought was the realization that he was not, in fact, lying face down in the road. He was lying on his back, in a bed, under a blanket, and the eggshell white was not asphalt at all; it was speckled plaster. Without moving his head, his eyes scanned the room. At least, they tried to: the bed was surrounded by a very plain, sterile-looking curtain on every side.

Still trying to work out exactly what was going on, he made an attempt to sit up, but paused when he realized his left arm felt abnormally stiff and was lying bent across his chest at a ninety-degree angle. He tried to extend his elbow, but the motion sent pain radiating from his forearm up into his shoulder that made his breath hitch loudly through gritted teeth.

As if on cue, the curtain flew open, and he felt his heart leap into his throat. He went completely stiff, his right hand gripped the thin blanket like a vise, and a choked gasp forced its way out of him.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I just -- I’m just -- I heard you say something, and I was just so glad you’re finally awake! Did I scare you?”

Sasuke’s mouth was still hanging open, but he didn’t say anything. Instead he just stared, wide-eyed, at the woman who’d nearly killed him a moment ago. The first thing he noticed, before her short white coat or the stethoscope draped across her neck, was her shoulder-length pink hair, and the way her face seemed to be rapidly shifting color to match it.

“That wasn’t very professional, I’m sorry, let me try that again.” The woman stood up straighter, letting go of the curtain and clearing her throat before continuing. “Hello. I’m Dr. Haruno. Do you know where you are?”

Sasuke opened and closed his mouth several times as if he was about to say something, but his voice appeared to have left him. His bulging eyes and flapping mouth made him look like a fish out of water.

“Can you tell me your name?”

“...”

“Do you remember what happened?”

“...”

“Oh, no, okay, I'll be right back, please try not to move.”

Dr. Haruno looked as though she was about to leave, and Sasuke shook his head firmly.

“No, sorry, wait,” he said, finally having found his voice. “I'm fine. I don't know where I am, no.” He paused. “I know it's a hospital, but I don't know _which_ hospital.” Another pause. “And my name is Sasuke. Uh, Uchiha. Sasuke Uchiha.”

Dr. Haruno took in a big breath and smiled.

“Okay, good. Great. I'm glad.” Her eyes closed for a moment as she nodded. “And do you remember what happened?”

“What happened…?” Sasuke turned his head on the pillow to look around, his eyebrows creasing slightly. “... sort of.”

“Okay, what can you tell me?”

“Well, I was standing on the corner waiting to cross. And then…” He bit his lip, trying to work out the exact order of events. “I was on the ground. And then I was here.” He was staring at the ceiling now, his face finally relaxed. Then, a thought occurred to him that made his chest tighten. “Did I get hit by a car?”

A reassuring hand touched his shoulder, squeezing lightly.

“No, no, no, no, no, not a car,” Dr. Haruno said, a hint of laughter evident in her voice. “A bicycle.” Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, but she raised a hand to stop him as she continued. “Please let me explain everything. You're at Bellevue Hospital. You were brought here via ambulance after being struck by a cyclist. You were unconscious, and were treated for your injuries in the emergency room.”

“And my injuries are?”

“Well, you had some head trauma.” She squeezed his shoulder again in response to the look of horror that crossed his face. “Nothing too serious, thankfully. A mild concussion and a gash just above the left temple that we stitched up. You also have a left supracondylar fracture and a left radial fracture -- two actually, one distal, one medial.”

The horror on his face turned to confusion. Dr. Haruno’s cheeks reddened again.

“Ah, your left elbow is broken. And your wrist. And your forearm. Oh, and your right shin.”

Now the stiffness in his arm made sense. It was in a cast. He hadn't noticed anything wrong with his leg, but as he attempted to wiggle it he felt heavy plaster weighing it down. He didn't want to ask, but he knew he should.

“Anything else…?”

“Other than a whole lot of scratching and bruising, nope! You're all good. Well, as good as someone with three broken bones and a concussion can be.”

Sasuke didn't know whether he wanted to scream or fall back asleep and try to wake up from what he was pretty sure had to be a nightmare. Dr. Haruno could see his jaw clenching and removed her hand from where it was still touching his shoulder.

“You've been out for about eight hours. I'd like to have a neurologist take a look at you, and give you a day to rest up. Provided you don't go unconscious again or develop a subdural hematoma between now and then, you’ll be free to go by the day after tomorrow!”

So much was happening. Sasuke’s jaw clenched even harder, and the tendons in his neck popped out. The pressure building at his temples was making his injured head pound. How did this happen? Why him? Why now? And, most importantly, where was the asshole who’d run him over?

“I'll send the nurse in to get you some food and something for the pain,” Dr. Haruno said hastily, sensing his building anxiety and frustration. “And then we’ll get started on getting you back on your feet. Try not to dwell on it too much -- just relax.” She stepped away then, the curtain swishing closed behind her.

Sasuke un-clenched and sank down into the bed, resigned to his fate.

The bed was uncomfortable. The food was edible at best. The nurse was kind, but it didn't make him feel better. Sasuke hated hospitals.

* * *

After a day of tests and being obsessively fussed over by Dr. Haruno and a slew of other medical professionals -- and two nights of restless sleep -- Sasuke woke to find his personal effects stacked neatly on the chair next to the bed. Today was the day he was scheduled to be discharged after being given the all-clear. A few minutes later the nurse walked in holding a clipboard and smiling broadly.

“Well, Mr. Uchiha. Good news! Your CT scan was clean, and all your tests came back normal. You'll need to schedule another CT in a week to make sure you don't have a slow-growing brain bleed, but otherwise today is your day!” She motioned to the pile of clothes on the chair. “We've returned your belongings to you, but we also gave you some new clothes. Your old ones are fine,” she added, noticing his grimace and the way his eyes narrowed, “but it’ll be difficult to get slacks and a button-up on over your casts. Don't worry, I'll help you get dressed. Then we can go to discharge.”

True to her word, the nurse helped him out of his gown and into the plain, white shirt and loose, black gym shorts the hospital had provided. Dressed like he was about to head to P.E. and wearing one brown, leather Oxford with a knee-length sock, Sasuke felt clownish.

“There!” The nurse clapped her hands excitedly, admiring her handy work. “Don't _you_ look comfortable! Come on, let's get you fitted for crutches and a sling, and then we can head on down.”

Some time later they entered the reception area, the nurse pushing Sasuke in a wheelchair. The crutches and his bag of clothing were sitting in his lap on top of the briefcase he’d been carrying at the time of the accident.

“Ah, you must be Mr. Uchiha! Good to see you're doing all right.” The receptionist handed him a clipboard and some forms. Sasuke wondered briefly how she knew who he was. “Please just read and sign these, making sure your information is correct, and you'll be on your way.”

It was at that moment that Sasuke realized his writing arm was currently locked in a plaster cast. He picked up the pen with his non-dominant hand, lowering it to the paper tentatively as he scanned it.

Signing his name four times had never been such an arduous task.

He handed the forms back to the receptionist and turned to look at the nurse.

“So how am I supposed to get home? I can't wander the streets of New York like this.”

The nurse opened her mouth to answer, but before she could, the receptionist interrupted.

“Oh, honey, don't worry about that. Your friend said he'd take care of everything.”

Sasuke's head snapped back to the receptionist.

“My… friend?”

“Yes, dear, he's been worried sick. Hasn't left the waiting room since you were admitted. I tried to tell him you'd be out in a day or two, but he told me he wasn't going anywhere until he saw you walk out the door with his own two eyes.”

Sasuke’s brows drew together and he clicked his tongue. “My friend,” he repeated, but this time it wasn't a question. There's no way any of the people he considered friends would've stuck around this long. She had to be mistaken. “What did they look like?”

“Well,” the receptionist tapped her finger against her chin, “he was about your age. Probably around five-nine, five-ten? Short, blond hair. Messy.” She paused, waving her hand over her head to mime out mussed hair. “And he had just the prettiest blue eyes I think I've ever seen. He was real handsome, actually! He single? You got his number?” She and the nurse both giggled in unison.

Sasuke didn't answer. Now he _knew_ she was crazy. He'd never met anyone by that description in his life.

“Well, anyway, have a good day, sir. Feel better.” The receptionist gave a cheerful wave as the nurse wheeled Sasuke through the automatic double doors to the waiting room. “And tell your friend I'm available!”

They moved to the middle of the room and stopped. They were surrounded by a sea of unfamiliar faces. Some were groaning in pain, some were outright screaming, and others were fast asleep despite the noise. Sasuke looked around for some he actually _did_ know. He didn't recognize any of these people. He was about to ask the nurse to take him to someone who could get him home, but went rigid in his seat when he felt a hand grab his shoulder and someone yelled in his ear.

“Holy shit! Holy shit, thank god! Thank fucking god dude, I'm so glad you're okay. Oh my god you look like shit, I'm sorry, I'm so fucking sorry, man. There's just-- there was-- I just--”

Sasuke turned to look at the man sputtering nonsense at him. He was looking at Sasuke with tears pooling at the corners of eyes ringed with dark circles.

His blue -- _really, really fucking blue_ \-- eyes.

Suddenly, everything clicked.

**Author's Note:**

> short first chapter, but now that i have a jumping-off point i'm ready to hit the ground running. next chapter we'll find out the identity of the mysterious stranger (who could it POSSIBLY be?), and poor sasuke realizes just how much his life is about to change.
> 
> thanks to my best friend karina for beta-ing and giving me invaluable story feedback, and my friends nae and maima for supporting me and encouraging me to get off my lazy ass and write. and thanks to tandy_hard for holding my hand and teaching me how to post to AO3 lmfao


End file.
